On the Church Steps
by Kut3G
Summary: One drizzly night a priest receives a visit from two frightened teenagers. "Father, I need your help"


**On the Church Steps**

Father Logan stood by the church doors waving as the last car drove down the icy driveway.

He watched the elderly couple's car until he could no longer see the model and vigorously shaking his hands together he tightened his black jacket around his body and walked back inside closing the doors.

He always smiled when he saw the candles burning brightly- it reminded him that in this crude and harsh world there were a few who had not lost the Faith. Walking up the aisle he readied himself for the tradition of brooming of thrown papers by the toddlers and the collection of bibles in each seat.

He loosened the belt that strangled his old bones and let the soothing voice of Sarah Britghtman echo the large hall.

A faint knock interrupted his thoughts- opening the door stood a teenage boy who was greatly disapproved upon by the Christian community in Albuquerque, Troy Bolton.

With rain running down his shaking body the boy stared down- the town rebel knocking on His door.

"Son" Father Lonigan whispered with worry in his voice.

Without looking at him Troy Bolton opened his mouth and removing his hands from his pockets he said "Father, I need your help"

"Well don't stand in the rain come on in" he ushered the young boy inside but he refused and pushed his hand away.

"NO YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME"

"Is something the matter?"

When he finally looked up his tired blue eyes looked distraught and pained. In all the eighteen years Father Lonigan had known Troy Bolton he had never seen him as he saw him then.

The words that fell out of his lips were sobbed "My girlfriend needs God"

"Excuse me?"

"My girlfriend needs God Father" he repeated

Not understanding the words he said Father asked "Where is she?"

The young teenage boy turned around and ran to the cream truck that was parked by a tree that was half hidden by a tree.

In the passenger seat sat a young girl whose dark black eyes saw comfort in the return of Troy.

In his unclear view he stared out at the peculiar situation that was occurring in front of him. A small argument was exchanged between the two before Father Lonigan saw the young girl nod her head. Seconds later Troy carefully opened the car door and he gently held her hands.

When the Father saw them walk up the driveway hand-in-hand he realized they were there to ask him for help, but what he could not comprehend was how he could possibly help them.

"I don't understand" said Father Lonigan

"I need you to make her better- I _need_ you to make my baby better" a tear fell down his face.

"Come inside"

* * *

Some people have argue that one cannot possibly teach about heartache and pain if one had not personally been through a situation of one's own. Father Ben Logan knew what the cynics argued was true and he also knew that his Maker would prepare him if or when the situations were to arise; he knew his Father would give him the words to heal the broken and the brokenhearted.

But watching the two children sit in one of the chairs with horror evident in their eyes he watched the two sit in silence.

Troy helped the girl sip a glass of water while he imaged the look of security compressing the look of fear.

Father Lonigan still didn't know the full situation yet; he didn't understand where their parents could possibly be and why their faces mimicked a person who had recently witnessed a ghost.

And he also knew if he walked out of his room he would have to help them.

"Father" Troy Bolton stood once the Priest walked out of his small room.

"Is there anything else you need, a blanket or a phone perhaps"

"You said you would help us" the boy said

"No I said I would see if I could help you, such as calling your parents"

"No please" she said loosening the blanket around her "You can't call my mother"

"Why not, are you two in some sort of trouble?"

"Father" Troy walked closer "we just need you to pray for us and use Holy water or whatever you use to heal the sick"

"I beg your pardon I am not some sort of miracle worker that can erase whatever it is you have clearly done"

"WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING"

"Then why are you here?"

"We can't tell you" Troy said

"Then I'm sorry I can't help you"

"We came for help GODAMMIT AND YOU WILL HELP US"

"I don't have to do anything" Father Lonigan adamantly said while walking to the door.

His stopped in his tracks when he heard the young girl speak "Father I-"

"Baby don't" Troy rushed to her side

"Troy" her tired voice almost broke into a whisper "he's not going to help us if we don't tell him"

"You know what he's going to do if we tell him"

"He's our last hope Troy"

The two shared a long and word ridden stare and the Father saw the boy eventually nod and hold her hand.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

The Father let go of his hand from the doorknob and crossed his arms, confident whatever they had to say could not be so life threatening they made it out to be.

Taking a breath Troy Bolton stood and with his hands in his pockets he said "at five a.m this morning I got a call from Gabriella's mother telling me that Gabriella was running a fever so I run to the drug store to get her meds, when I get to her house her neighbors tell me she had to be rushed to the hospital"

"I killed my baby"

"Will you stop saying that?"

"It's true"

"It's his fault" Troy pointed to Father Lonigan

"I beg your pardon, how is this fault?"

"Since I was a kid I was taught that God was "salvation" and a "savior" well, where the fuck was He when my little seventh month year old girl was dying? Where was He when the umbilical cord tied around her neck and killed her TELL ME THAT?"

"Son"

"NO, HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP HER; HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE FOR HER"

"Son, he was, since the day she came to his existence He was there"

Wiping his tears with his shirt he stood next to his girlfriend "Are you going to fucking help us or not?"

"I'm not sure how"

"Father" Gabriella stood and Troy held her hand "Troy wants you to pray for the resurgence of our child through me"

"Resurgence, as in rebirth"

"Yes Father" she answered politely

"My child, we cannot rebirth the dead, Christianity is not about relieving the dead or healing the sick, it's about the Faith, the worship of Christ and the value of our lives for his death for humanity"

"So you won't do it?" Troy asked

"It's not a matter of can't but impossible"

"Troy, let's go" she said

"I'm not leaving until he agrees to bring her back"

"He can't Troy" she said holding unto him

"HES HE CAN GABRIELLA" turning to his pained faced girlfriend he added "he does every Sunday, why can't he do it now?"

"It's for forgiveness Troy"

"I should call someone" he eagerly suggested before the situation spiraled out of control

With that Troy charged to the priest and punched him in the face. When the man fell Troy pulled out a knife from his pocket and gashed his leg.

"TROY" still with the pain fresh in her abdomen she ran to the man she's known her entire life bleeding on the floor.

"WHAT DID YOU DO" she turned to him with her eyes red

"He's a liar, he should stop saying things that are untrue, God is a fake, and He isn't real"

"Troy, do you want another person to die today? I'm hurting to you know, I carried her for seven months, I felt her move every day, when I had to give birth to her I hoped God would give us a miracle and give her life, but he didn't, he didn't and I was hurt and I lost my faith too.

It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest right in front of me and I didn't do anything to stop it"

"Baby, it's not your fault"

"It is my fault; she was in my belly and my responsibility. I hoped Father Lonigan could bring her back but he can't, she's gone, and you not accepting it is only prolonging the pain I feel in my heart right now and I need you to be there for me instead chasing something that isn't there"

With that she stood and ran out the church.

Troy stood, staring at the space she once filled, horrified and confused. He dazedly walked to the closest bench and sat down with his legs hugging his chest.

He sat down and sobbed, his cries were quiet and the physical pain Father Lonigan felt was nothing compared to the pain that the teenage boy felt.

His cry was quiet but its depth could be heard oceans apart.

Father Lonigan pulled his scarf and wrapped it firmly around his leg and stood. He limped step by step until he sat on the bench and he promised himself he would ignore the blood and the unbearable throbbing.

"How old are you son?"

"What does it matter?" with his voice inaudible he buried himself in his knees.

"How old are you?" he asked again

"Eighteen"

"And her"

"Seventeen"

"I know you are in no state to answer my question but I'm going to ask it anyway, not once have I seen you attend a service and somehow when you lost your baby Christ was the first person you thought of, why is that."

Securing his sobs safely in his throat he wiped the wet from his face "we attend service"

"We" Father Lonigan inquired, quizzed.

He looked on the ground "Since we learnt of Gabriella's pregnancy we'd been coming in late every Sunday and standing outside the back doors"

"Why didn't you come in?"

"Because people would think I had reformed and expect things of me when all I wanted was just come to church and just leave again"

"You said since the revelation of your Girlfriend's pregnancy you came to church, why?"

"I know what you think of me, worthless rebel who's on the peak of his youth going on a narrow road to nowhere" looking at the man he added "and I didn't want that for my child"

"I see"

"I didn't know how much I loved her until they covered her body up and…why did He leave me Father, I was ready to commit"

"Would a person willing to leave you give you a gift as precious as love?"

"Father" he asked confused

"Maybe your little one's existence was not to have life but rather give you a life"

"I had a life"

Father Lonigan smiled and pat his shoulder "One who is not with Christ lives the potential of life, one who is with Christ is living the full advantages of life; love"

"It's still hurts"

"No matter what age you are you still lost a child, you're a grieving parent"

"I'm a parent?"

"As long as a child was conceived birthed or not you will always be a parent"

"…I like that"

For the first time that evening he saw Troy Bolton smile and the pain in his leg was gone.

"She feels alone"

"I don't know what to do; she won't talk to me Father"

"She's a seventeen year old girl she doesn't know how to handle or respond to a situation such as this, she needs her Mother and so do you. She's outside go be with her"

"How do you know she's outside?"

"I know because she's scared and wants her boyfriend but to mad at him to come to him. Go"

Taking a last look at the Priest he put his feet down and laid his hands on his thighs. He took several breaths before standing. With his head down he slowly walked towards the doors and outside she sat, cuddling herself in the cold drizzling rain.

She sat in the Church Doors, waiting for him, waiting for him to come back to her, waiting for him to return from the hole he was falling in.

He walked out the building and each step he took felt like the longest. When he reached the step she was sitting on he took his jacket off and laid it on her shoulders.

She flinched when she felt the piece of clothing on her back but her head did not turn. He sat down on the first step and stared far ahead.

Not a word was said.

"Father, show them your love" standing by the window Father Lonigan whispered in the candlelit hall.

It was cold outside and the pain she felt in her heart was a kind she had never felt before and she had no idea how much worse it would be in the morning, but in that moment she felt peace wash over her heart and the warmth she felt in the cold night gave her comfort and when she reached for his hand she took a breath.

That was the second time Troy Bolton smiled that evening.

* * *

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Thanks.


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